The Grammys, Gay Marriage and Boiling Frogs

Did you see the Grammy Awards last night? By now you no doubt have heard about the stunt pulled at this year’s show. 33 gay and straight couples were “married” during one segment as Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert and Madonna serenaded them with the anthem “Same Love”. I would like to share a few thoughts regarding this spectacle of twenty first century post-Christian America.

A Frog in Boiling Water

Most are familiar with the old metaphor of the frog in boiling water. Place a frog in boiling water and he will jump out; put him in cold water and slowly heat and he will remain until he is cooked to death. Keep this in mind as we continue.

For anyone old enough to remember, there was another television controversy regarding “same love” 25 years ago. In 1989 the ABC hit television series thirty-something aired an episode which showed two gay men in bed together. They never touched, but the clear indication was that the men were engaging in pillow talk following their hook up.

What was the reaction that greeted this attempt to push the envelope for the homosexual agenda? Following the episode ABC television received hundreds of calls, 90 per cent of which were negative. Five of the shows regular sponsors pulled out of the episode resulting in the network losing over $1,500,000 in advertising revenue. The episode was also pulled from the summer rerun schedule and did not reappear until syndication years later. (Becker, R. “Gay TV and Straight America” 2006).

In 1989 polling organizations did not even ask respondents their opinion regarding gay marriage. However, the Gallup organization did poll Americans on the question of same sex marriage in 1996, a full seven years after the episode had aired. At that time only 27 percent of Americans supported the idea.

Now fast forward 25 years to the present. We have seen drag queens singing and dancing this past November at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. A gay couple was married on a Rose Parade float for the entire television viewing audience New Year ’s Day. And now, last night’s Grammy Awards.

In addition to the current slate of “in your face” programming courtesy of the pro-homosexual popular culture, average Americans have changed their views on same sex marriage as well. Every major poll conducted on this subject in 2013 reveals that now over half of all Americans support gay marriage.

Last night’s Grammy Awards would have scandalized the television viewing audience a mere 25 years ago. In 2014, however, there is little to no fear for CBS or its sponsors of repercussions. The water has had 25 years to slowly boil and the frog is now cooked.

Contraception

Aristotle famously asserted that “Nature abhors a vacuum.” For over a generation there has been a catechetical vacuum from the Church when it comes to same sex marriage. Our popes and many courageous bishops have taught on the subject. However, despite the assertions of our Holy Father, far too many parish priests have not obsessed enough about this. A culpable silence on this topic has instead been the norm for many Catholic faithful sitting in the pews on Sundays. Unfortunately our neo-pagan modern culture has been more than willing to fill this vacuum with their agenda.

However, we are only fooling ourselves if we see this as simply a failure to speak out in defense of traditional marriage. At its very foundation this current crisis has everything to do with a resigned acceptance of contraception by many Catholic clergy and laity alike.

In many parishes there is still a deafening silence when it comes to the topic of contraception. While nearly everyone understands what the Church teaches, there is often no context or adult formation provided on this topic. Papal encyclicals and pre-Cana classes are not enough. We need to be shaken out of our complacency.

In Humanae Vitae the Catholic Church reaffirmed that “every marital act must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life.” The Church also unambiguously stated that the “unitive significance and the procreative significance…are both inherent to the marriage act.” (HV 12)

Of course, by its very definition, a conjugal act which retains the procreative purpose of marriage can only involve one man and one woman. However, once contraception is introduced into a heterosexual relationship the act becomes disordered.

As the procreative aspect to marriage has been abandoned by the culture of contraception, the understanding of what marriage truly is has been lost. As it stands today, heterosexuals who engage in sterile, recreational, sex strictly for pleasure no longer have a compelling argument as to why homosexuals should not also engage in sterile, recreational, sex strictly for pleasure. After all, none of these “marriages” are producing new life. With the “Marriage Equality” movement we are now seeing the logical and destructive culmination of this contraceptive mentality.

Dare to Be Counter-Cultural

There are three things we must do in direct response to the scandal of last night’s Grammy Awards.

First, Catholics must stop fooling themselves when it comes to the popular culture. We are in the world but not of the world. The music industry, Hollywood and commercial television are actively working against us. At this time all faithful Catholics need to ask themselves why they still feel the need to give their time and money to industries and “artists” who actively promote this type of message. It’s time to recognize that we are counter-cultural. They will hate us but know that they hated Him first.

Second, Catholics must hate sin. Not the sinner, but the sin. Contraception is evil. It has laid a foundation for divorce, promiscuity, fornication, abortion and now same sex marriage. It is wrong and always has been. The Church is unambiguous about this, even if your pastor is not. We are unable to defend and promote a Culture of Life as long as Catholics contracept just like everyone else. It has to stop.

Finally, pray and offer reparation for the sins of others. This is indeed a supernatural battle and we will lose if we seek to wage it only in the temporal realm. Saint Michael the Archangel is a necessary ally in this battle. Let us invoke his intercession every day as we fight for causes such as the defense of traditional marriage and an outright rejection of contraception by all people of good faith. Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle!…